IS IT WISE TO BUY USED CAGES?

Written by Sal Salafia, Certified Avian Specialist, Founder of Exotic Pet Birds Inc.

Part of my role here is to safeguard the community that buys the birds we raise. In recent days, I have noted that a few clients mentioned they found a used cage to buy. Though I acknowledge some people have successfully done this, I have seen many, many who have not.

Bird diseases are something we work so very hard to safeguard against. No person or entity can be perfect at this, but there are certain quarantine practices and decisions we can make as aviculturists to hold standards within our control. This company could make a whole lot of money buying and selling used cages, but there is a serious danger in doing so. Used cages are very likely harboring bad germs that you don’t want anywhere near your birds. These animals we all love are highly susceptible to dander, which can allow germs to transfer onto items that expose your birds to potentially fatal disease.

Buying a bird leaves you making a significant financial and emotional investment. I personally don’t think the risk is worth the savings, which is why I strongly suggest against buying used equipment for your pet birds. Over the years, there are very few horror stories I have not heard about negative outcomes of attempting to take on someone’s used stuff that they didn’t know personally. Please take this warning seriously; there are some bacteria that cannot be killed easily, and these are the strains of germs I don’t want to see ending up in your home. PS. Some of these germs are not just harmful to birds, but also to people.